Papa Jack
by wolfypuppypiles
Summary: Jack is like a dad to the team but he doesn't really notice how much of a father figure he is until someone points it out. Riley watches him take care of Mac


(AN: This is my first fic for Macgyver and I can already tell I'm gonna whump the hell out of our boy. I loove the show and the family dynamic that the team has going. I have read so many macgyver fics that I know someone else used the papa Jack thing and the 'mac forgets to eat' thing so I am not stealing I just can not for the life of me remember who wrote it. Anyway they're very common themes in the show so im sure no one will be too mad at me for going with it.)

Jack stuffed another shirt into his bag as Riley packed her laptops up. They were gearing up for a mission, the two of them packing what they needed from tactical. The room was full of guns and mission essentials. Jack gestured across the room.

"Hey, can you pass that box over there?"

Riley turned and saw what Jack was pointing at and went to grab it, frowning down at the various objects in it.

"Why do you want a box of broken stuff? What is this? There's like laser sights and a… is this a microscope?"

Jack took the box and pulled a few items out, stuffing them into his bag.

"Yeah, one of the lab techs broke it and doesn't want to tell Matty that he dropped a piece of five-thousand-dollar lab equipment. I told him Mac would fix it."

Riley looked down at the box again, noting the scribbled words on the side, in Jack's handwriting.

'Projects for Mac.'

She scoffed at the label and watched Jack rifle through it before settling the box back on its shelf.

"Why are we bringing it on a mission? Don't you think he's going to be busy enough as it is?"

Jack made a face at her, once that he'd given many times before. It was something between irritation and that fondness he got whenever talking about Mac.

"Man, have you ever seen how annoying he gets when he's bored? He once got so bored on the plane ride home from a mission, that he took apart one of the T.V screen just to put it back together again. The pilot was not happy."

Riley smiled, imagining how Jack would have told him off.

"So, you bring him toys to play with?"

Jack nodded, laughing at how much of a little kid Mac was.

"Hey, it keeps me sane, him occupied and everyone out of trouble for breaking things. Why do you think we have the paperclips in the war room? He's always gotta be doing something."

Riley nodded. She did notice the way Mac fiddled with those paperclips in very meeting. She pointed to the box of Mac's projects.

"And does Mac know about that?"

Jack froze in his packing and turned to her with a sheepish expression.

"No, and don't tell him, he'll get embarrassed. Everyone knows Mac can fix whatever you put in front of him so I just told everyone to put the broken stuff in there for him, so that they don't have to tell Matty. It's a good system, so don't tell him about it and screw it up, alright?"

Riley put her hands up in surrender.

"Alright, alright, geeze. You really are like a dad to him, aren't you?"

Jack smiled, eyes crinkling. He loved his team mates and it was his job to take care of them, so by god he'd do it right.

"Papa Jack takes care of all his team mates, and that means you too little lady."

He bumped his elbow against Riley as she laughed.

"Hey, no laughing. Show your father some respect."

Riley had a complicated history with Jack, but she really did see him as the closest thing to a dad she'd ever had. Jack had felt that closeness and responsibility when he'd been dating her mother and hadn't thought he was ready for that, that he wasn't man enough. But in reality, he'd been slowly becoming the dad of the team ever since he met Mac.

Riley could see the way Jack took care of Angus but she didn't think Jack really realized the father figure he was until someone pointed it out. He always insisted that it was part of his job but everyone knew it was more than that.

Even Mac saw Jack as a father figure, how could he not? His own father had left him with his grandad and he loved that man but no one had ever been more of a dad to him than Jack Dalton was.

Riley smiled to herself as she watched the two, Mac being the genius child that he was while Jack worried over him.

"Mac, no more okay? You need to eat."

The team had been resting for the weekend, after a particularly stressful mission and Jack was insisting on taking care of his younger team mate. Mac was sitting on the floor, in front of his motorbike, one casted leg stretched out and resting on a pillow Jack had insisted on, as he tinkered with the engine.

He didn't look up from his work as he answered.

"Uh, huh. In a minute."

Jack sighed, irritated.

"No, Mac. Now. You've been working for hours, you need to eat something. Look at you, you're skin and bones."

Mac gestured wildly with his hands as he argued, making Jack angrier and Riley more amused.

"I'm fine, you need to stop worrying! I have a lot to do on this bike, okay? The engine is busted and the gears all need cleaning and- Jack!"

Jack had put down the plate and grabbed Mac under the arms, hauling up the kid from the ground and dragging him to the table. Mac grumbled and tried to get back to his work as Jack dropped him into a chair, careful of his injuries but with enough force that Mac knew he wasn't getting out of it.

"You can go back to it later. Here wash your hands and eat your damn lunch, boy, I will not tell you again." Jack threw a cloth down beside Mac plate and watched the kid with crossed arms. Mac glared at the man and received only a raised eyebrow for his trouble.

"Ugh, fine! I'll eat, Jack, just calm down."

Riley laughed again as Mac pouted and washed his hands, Jack scoffing at the comment.

"Me calm down? You're the one that had to be dragged to the table, like a child. I shouldn't have to remind you to eat every few hours, Mac."

Angus frowned and looked at the clock.

"It hasn't been…Oh. Sorry."

Mac had a tendency to hyper focus on whatever he was working on and even the need to eat was lost on him if his mind was occupied. Riley had seen Jack push food on him before and knew their little routine.

Jack nodded and sat down next to the boy as he tore into his food, gently lifting Mac's casted leg onto his knee to make him more comfortable. He pushed a glass across the table with one finger, trying not to sound too naggy as he added.

"Here, drink your milk."

Of course, when Mac had finally eaten, and taken the pain meds Jack gave him, "I don't need them." "Well too bad, you know what the doctor said. So, suck it up and do what you're told." The kid was so exhausted Jack had to take him to bed.

Mac rubbed at his eyes as Jack lifted him carefully from the table, sighing as Mac insisted he was not, in fact, tired.

"I wanna finish the bike."

Mac's arm was slung around Jacks shoulders as he tried helping him to his room.

"You can finish it tomorrow, Mac."

"Jack, come on I did what you asked, now let me finish it. I'm not a baby, I can make my own decisions."

Jack laughed at that but relented, helping the kid back to the floor by his bike, and arranging the casted leg on the pillow once more. But it didn't take very long for Angus to drift off. Riley was sitting on the couch, playing with some new coding while Jack watched T.V, and noticed Mac yawning and getting sloppier with his work. He kept dropping his tools and Riley turned to Jack to tell him, only to see the older man watching the kid closely.

He nodded to Riley, talking softly to her as they watched their boy genius's eyes closed while he was screwing in a bolt.

"He'll be out in two minutes, then I'll take him to bed. But you have to let him wear himself out or he'll just put up a fight."

Mac blinked his tired eyes, desperately trying to keep them open, until he let out a huff and dropped his tools, giving up.

"Jack?" Riley smiled at her team mate as Jack went and knelt beside him. The poor guy was so tired, he could barely lift his head to look at him.

"Looks like it's time for bed huh?"

Mac nodded and lifted his arms for Jack to carry him and Riley couldn't help but smile at how adorable it was. Mac didn't really like asking for help but it was easier when your partner already knew what you needed.

Mac was riding the wave of good pain meds as Jack took him to his room, tucking him into bed and making sure he was comfortable. Mac grunted as he shuffled around in bed, almost kicking Jack with his cast. The older man pushed his limbs back under the blankets as he grumbled.

"You're more trouble than you're worth, you know that?"

Mac sighed against his pillow, face smushed in the cotton.

"Yeah but you love me anyway, huh Jack?"

Jack smiled, unable to hide his affection for his team mate. He laid a big hand on Mac's head, ruffling his hair in a way he'd never be permitted if Mac wasn't so high.

Yeah, you know it brother."

Jack was just about to leave when another sigh came from the young agent.

"Goodnight, Dad."

Jack froze, watching the kid for any sign of a joke, but he was already asleep. Jack Dalton was no water baby but by god did that kid melt his heart.

"Goodnight, Mac."

(AN: I really hope this isnt too shit my writing has been really lax latley and I havent updated anything that I should have. I am very sorry for this but you know how it is, sometimes ur brain has ideas and sometimes it just plays the same scene from macgyver over and over until you write it.

I live off reviews and kudos and would love to hear feedback and ideas. Also I'm on tumblr with the same url as my author name on here and dude I love whump so come talk to me if you want. I don't know many people like love macgyver)


End file.
